While much of America is still under some type of quarantine, history is about to made in a big way.

No, I’m not talking about the pandemic. I’m talking about the much anticipated, upcoming launch of American astronauts from American soil. A feat that hasn’t been accomplished since the last space shuttle mission in 2011.

Back in 2014, NASA awarded commercial crew transportation ability to both SpaceX and Boeing. Since then, NASA has been working with the American aerospace industry as these companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft.

We’ve seen this firsthand as SpaceX’s Falcon rocket has tested numerous times and now, they are finally ready to take a crew of astronauts up to the ISS.

This is especially important now that the pandemic has forced travel restrictions, making it impossible to have American astronauts catch rides on the Soyuz as they’ve done in the past.

On May 27th, SpaceX’s Demo 2 will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Obviously, there will be no crowds allowed out there for the launch, but not to worry. I will have all the resources available for you here.

To start things off for this historic launch, I want to invite all educators, parents, and students interested in careers in STEM to join NASA for a free webinar Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at 2:30pm MST.

This is the first in a series of four free webinars that will be focused explanations that engage audiences and highlight the science, technology, engineering, mathematics content and processes involved in designing, planning, testing, and launching a human crew in assessment of spaceflight launch capabilities in conjunction with the DM2 launch.

In this introduction NASA will focus on STEM career connections.

With information on the CCP Mission and the NASA/SpaceX Partnership, it’ll be hosted by Steven. He’s a NASA STEM EPDC (Educator Professional Development Collaborative) Specialist housed in the LBJ Institute of STEM Education and Research at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Anyone interested can register for the free webinar here

You can also learn more about the Demo 2 launch and crew with this handy STEM Social Cheat Sheet. Download it for free here. Inside, you will find hyperlinks to a ton of information about this upcoming launch.

Stay up to date on launch activities right here in the El Paso Herald Post. I promise that there will be much more to share with you as the big day approaches.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to email me at lunapoetic@gmail.com, or check out my Facebook Page to submit your questions there.

About Amy Cooley

A native El Pasoan, Amy Cooley attended Parkland High School before beginning her studies in physics at EPCC. With her love of dark skies increasing, she transferred to New Mexico Tech University where she earned her degree in Astronomy. Moving back to El Paso in 2008, she now wants to share her love of the cosmos with the city she calls home.